1 Million Viewers Dive in 3D With Daryl Hannah-Narrated ‘Dolphins and Whales 3D’

August 26, 2008

LOS ANGELES and LONDON, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ — 3D Entertainment Distribution is pleased to announce that this past weekend “Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean” drew in its one millionth viewer worldwide since its release just six months ago. The film, presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau and narrated by Daryl Hannah, has grossed USD 8.3 million in box office revenues worldwide as of August 24, 2008, including USD 4.3 million garnered domestically at 15 IMAX(R) theatres since its US launch on February 15th.

“I am thrilled by the fantastic reaction of general audiences and, especially, educators to our latest film,” said 3D Entertainment Distribution’s Chairman, Francois Mantello. “The average per screen revenue in the US has reached a robust USD 290,000 and is growing by a steady 7% on a weekly basis with the same theatre base, proving the film has very strong legs.”

Top grossing North American exhibitors for “Dolphins and Whales 3D” include the New England Aquarium in Boston (MA), which has attracted 125,000 viewers since hosting the film’s world premiere in early February. Other highly successful openings include, among others, the IMAX theatre in Myrtle Beach (SC), the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis (IN), the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga (TN) and the CN IMAX Theatre at Canada Place in Vancouver (BC).

The film’s greatest success internationally remains in German-speaking territories, where 200,000 tickets have already been sold in five months. The multiplex-based CineStar IMAX(R) 3D in Berlin takes the lead with 40% of the film’s cumulative box office gross in Germany and Austria.

“Dolphins and Whales 3D” will proceed with its staggered domestic and overseas rollout over the coming months. Beginning October 10th it will be shown on IMAX screens at Chicago’s Navy Pier and Cinemark Seven Bridges, the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley (MN) and Cinemark Tinseltown USA in Rochester (NY), followed in 2009 by Pittsburgh (PA), Colorado Springs (CO), Sacramento (CA) and Galveston (TX). The Singapore Discovery Center (Singapore), Paris’ La Geode (France) and IMAX theatres located in Prague (Czech Republic), Budapest (Hungary) and Sofia (Bulgaria) will also join the growing list of international exhibitors in the coming year.

Additional engagements are expected to be announced following the film’s first New York City (NY) screening at the AMC IMAX 3D Cinema in Lincoln Square on September 10th in conjunction with the Giant Screen Cinema Association’s annual conference in Jersey City (NJ).

“Dolphins and Whales 3D” immerses viewers in the daily lives of small and giant cetaceans as they interact socially, play, communicate, feed, breed, migrate and fight for their survival. It delivers a powerful message in favor of the protection of these tribes while they are facing the greatest challenge of all: to survive the destruction of their habitat and depletion of food resources. The film is produced by 3D Entertainment and McKinney Underwater Productions and released by 3D Entertainment’s distribution unit in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and non-profit organizations Ocean Futures Society, PADI’s Project Aware and Reef Check.

Three years in the making, the film required no fewer than 12 international expeditions and 600 hours spent underwater at some of the remotest locations on Earth, including off the Pacific Ocean atolls of Moorea and Rurutu (French Polynesia), Vava’u Island (Kingdom of Tonga), Pico Island (Azores) and the Valdez Peninsula (Argentina). Unlike other IMAX-type films, it was shot entirely in the wild and consists solely of underwater footage, with no humans on screen.

For a detailed list of current IMAX showings, please connect to http://www.dolphinsandwhales3d.com/IMAXscreens

About 3D Entertainment

Founded in 2001, 3D Entertainment is a fast-growing company focused on the production and distribution of unique and innovative underwater-themed 3D films for IMAX(R) theatres and Digital 3D cinemas worldwide. Its mission is to immerse audiences of all ages in unique 3D story-driven experiences that inspire and educate on the vital need to protect the oceans and their inhabitants. The company has developed an original growth strategy based on the overall control of all production- and post-production-related aspects of its Digital 3D film adventures. In 2007, a separate business unit, 3D Entertainment Distribution, was created to oversee all non-production related activities from IMAX theatrical rights sales, film marketing, promotional events and educational outreach programs, to the development of ancillary markets. For more information, visit the company’s corporate website at http://www.3defilms.com/